I just returned from my little garden plot--first visit of the year! The gardens officially opened on April 22, but I (lazily) didn't feel like braving some of the chilly and rainy weather this week. Today was in the high 60s, so I spent as much time as possible outside, running errands all over the neighborhood. I capped off the day with the garden visit.
When I got to the garden, I decided not to disturb the dirt in the plot at all; I just laid a few inches of compost on top. The dirt felt crumbly and not as packed as I thought it might be. I then restrung my twine through last year's eyebolts, so that my square feet are clearly delineated. I planted:
-Two broccoli sprouts, one each to a square. I didn't harden them off first, so there's a chance they won't make it. I saved some sprouts just in case.
-Parsnips and radishes in two squares. I sowed them in furrows together, four furrows in each square. They should be spaced 1/2" apart, but I just kind of eyeballed. They'll figure it out. This is my first time planting either, but I've read that they grow well together. The radishes are ready in 30 days, and their little bulbs help the parsnips space out a little better. Once you pull the radishes, the parsnips continue for another 90 days. Theoretically, you can overwinter parsnips and carrots--just pull the suckers out of the ground when you are ready to eat them--but our gardens close in November. Also, I was suprised by the way parsnip seeds look--like flat, papery pumpkins. Seeing a seed and knowing what kind of plant it creates is rather mind-boggling. Unless it's a bean or pea, there's often little relation.
-Carrots in two squares. I made four furrows and lightly sowed these. Carrot seeds are tiny!
-Sugar snap peas in two squares. I made three furrows in each square, and placed four peas in each furrow.
-Shelling peas. Same as above.
I forgot to bring the borage sprouts with me, but they are ready for transplant as well. Next visit!
Next up: beans go in the ground around May 1. I just picked up some soil and jiffy pots today, so I'll be up-planting my tomatoes and eggplants shortly. The hot crops (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers) will be ready to go in the ground May 15 in these parts, but they need an interim, larger container before transplanting. I will also be filling my salad bowl and sowing soon. I want to put a kale plant in the middle, three chard in a triangle around that, spinach in a circle around that, and lettuce around the outside. Hopefully it will produce nicely. I will be putting this bown in my lower deck area, where there is more shade. I am beginning to suspect that my windowbox is actually ill-placed (no shade) for lettuce, even at the beginning of the season. I'll see if I can get some container plants--squash and tomatoes--in there instead, and some herbs that will love the sun.
As for my other plants, the basil is beginning to look like basil and the spinach is starting to look like spinach! Which means they are growing a second set of leaves, or "true" leaves. Everything else seems pretty healthy. It's all growing along.
Happy gardening!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Goats Milk Soap
I have a friend with eczema and allergies in her family, and she buys unscented, uncolored goats milk soap--from Canada. While goats milk is a little more complicated than other soap, I felt pretty certain I could do it cheaper and easier for her. So I set about making some today.
First, I composed a recipe with the help of a soap calculator. I wanted a bar with oils that were good for eczema, avoided the tree-nut allergy, and would create a nice hard bar. I normally use shea butter for hardness, but subbed in cocoa butter instead. I added avocado oil for the eczema. Since each oil requires a different amount of lye to saponify, it is imperative to run a recipe through a lye calculator, so that you end up with a safe bar.
Recipe in hand, I started by measuring the oils.
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| Scale is extremely necessary. The tare function is neat. |
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| Oils and butters. |
Castor oil and avocado oil are already liquids at room temperature, so they just need to be measured into the bowl. Cocoa butter is extremely hard at room temperature, so I wanted to wait and melt it just before mixing.
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| Coconut oil requires melting first. |
At this point, I would also measure out fragrance or essential oils and any colorants required, but I wanted an unscented and uncolored batch, so I moved right on to the lye solution.
In a standard batch, I would measure distilled water, measure the lye, dump the lye in the water--never the other way around--then mix until the lye dissolved. While wearing gloves, protective goggles, long sleeves, and shoes, because lye is no joke. I also mix the solution outside to minimize the noxious fumes. The solution heats to about 200 degrees, so I then put the pot in a tray of ice water to cool it to between 90 and 110 degrees.
However, goats milk soap is a little different. The distilled water is replaced by milk. And the little trick about milk is that it will turn orange and smell terrible if it gets too hot and the proteins burn. Adding lye to milk is a great way to get it too hot. To prevent this, I froze the goats milk and made my sink an ice bath. Oddly, milk and lye doesn't create the noxious fumes that water and lye creates, so I could do it inside.
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| You must wear gloves and goggles when dealing with lye. That shit'll eat yours eyes and skin off. |
I put the frozen goats milk in the pot and allowed it to form a little puddle, to give me some liquid to begin mixing. Then, after donning goggles and gloves, I added a little lye at a time, mixing, allowing the milk to melt a bit, and making sure it didn't get too hot. I managed to mix everything in without burning the milk, so I was pretty proud of myself. If anything, I think I might have kept the mixture too cold.
Once I was happy with my lye/milk solution, I melted the cocoa butter. This took a bit of time, but I eventually had liquid butter to add to the other oils. I then placed the bowl in the sink, added my lye/milk, and started blending.
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| Finished goats milk solution |
I was mainly concerned with two things: not letting the batter get so hot that it burns the milk, and not letting the batter get too cold, in which case the cocoa butter might start to harden and cause false trace. It took longer to reach trace than most batches (probably because the lye was cold), but it got there, and I popped it in the mold.
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| In the mold! Saran wrap to cut down on ash. |
I didn't actually insulate it with the towel shown, because milk can cause a batch to overheat in the mold and erupt out. Some folks choose to pour a milk soap in the mold and then put it immediately in the freezer to keep it cold and keep it from going through gel phase. I left it uninsulated and on the corner, keeping an eye on it to make sure it did hit gel phase (signaling to me that it was a true trace and not false).
I am excited to unmold it tomorrow and see how it turns out!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Fearless Food Gardening
So, it snowed a few days ago. As expected. My husband calls that week of spring weather, followed shortly by one last snow, "fake-me-out spring." It happens every year. I knew it had to happen, so I wasn't too disappointed by the snow pouring down outside. (I am, however, fully expecting that to be the last snow of this winter, so I'll be incredibly frustrated if we get anymore this month.)
I took advantage of the snow to spring-clean some of my closets. I reorganized four closets, two cabinets, one buffet, and one side table. I have several bags ready to go to the Brown Elephant (our local thrift store). It felt good to bring back some order.
The garden continues to ramp up. My baby lettuce, kale, and chard survived their blanket of snow, even without putting up any cover. (A note for the future: use some cover if you see snow in the forecast. A milk-jug cloche or plastic bags--something protective.) I was lucky. Seedlings are continuing to look strong. The only thing that hasn't made an appearance are some mini-pepper seeds, and those seeds are a few years old. I planted two types, so it won't be a huge problem if they never germinate.
We had garden orientation was last night. Our community garden opens next Tuesday, and I can't wait to get out there and get started. I have one 4'x8' plot. I put in eyebolts last year, so I'll re-string the twine and have my square plots marked out. I will admit that I am really not sure how to prepare the bed for planting. Most resources tell you how to make your own raised bed, but what if the bed is three years old? How can I prep the soil then? I had a problem with my soil compacting and cracking last year, and I am just not sure how to fix it. My plan is to aerate the soil by using a fork to put in holes, but not turn over or till the soil in anyway. I'll lay compost on top of that and hope it helps the bed. I tried to incorporate the compost last year, and I am not sure that was helpful; I think I just tilled the bed and killed all the good soil ecosystems.
I picked up this book at the orientation last night:
It was created specifically for Chicago, so it can give detailed information on our last frost date (April 24), our hot crop plant date (May 15, which I had always thought was the last frost date), and the specific climate here. It also gave some incredibly useful information on organic pest control. As I may have mentioned last year, I had aphids, powdery mildew, tomato blight, blossom end rot, and squash borers. I went into the garden without much information on how to prevent or control some of the infestations. This year, I have a few plans:
1. Prevent squash borers. Squash borers are moth larvae. The moth lay eggs on the base of the squash plants, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae bores into the plant and kills it. I lost two delicata squash plants, an 8-ball squash, and a zucchini plant last year; I was operating under the misunderstanding that the bugs laid eggs in the soil, and it would be impossible to prevent year-to-year. As it turns out, if you wrap the bottoms of your plants in aluminum foil or pantyhose, it discourages the moth from laying eggs. If you do have an infected plant, you can cut open the base, pull out the larvae, and destroy it. So this year: aluminum foil on the base of my zucchini (I did not plan delicata squash, because I figured I would just lose it to the bugs!)
2. Prevent powdery mildew. I half-assed sprayed some watered down milk on my plants and didn't really take the powdery mildew seriously once it appeared. With some baking soda and water, I can do some preventative spraying and hopefully stop it before it starts.
3. Water less. As a "grewbie" (new grower), I didn't really understand how much water the garden needed. The plots are all on top of a cement lot, so I was worried the garden would get too hot. I watered daily all summer. That, plus the fact that it was a wet spring, led to the aphid infestation, mildew, and blossom end rot. I am going to try watering every other day to every few days. I'll try to check the soil with a finger; if it is dry down to a few inches, time to water. If not, let it be.
4. Keep an eye on tomato blight. The blight is now, unfortunately, in my soil. There isn't a lot you can do to prevent blight or stop it once it starts. But I can prune the plants well, make sure no leaves are touching the ground, and remove any infected leaves as soon as I see the start. If necessary, I can remove the plant. Similarly, if I see blossom-end rot (which occurs because of a calcium deficiency in the plant; it's not pulling enough from the soil, either from bad soil or erratic watering) I can cut off the deficient fruit right away and give the plant a chance to make new fruits.
That's my current pest plan. Expect another garden update when I can actually get my hands out in the dirt!
I took advantage of the snow to spring-clean some of my closets. I reorganized four closets, two cabinets, one buffet, and one side table. I have several bags ready to go to the Brown Elephant (our local thrift store). It felt good to bring back some order.
The garden continues to ramp up. My baby lettuce, kale, and chard survived their blanket of snow, even without putting up any cover. (A note for the future: use some cover if you see snow in the forecast. A milk-jug cloche or plastic bags--something protective.) I was lucky. Seedlings are continuing to look strong. The only thing that hasn't made an appearance are some mini-pepper seeds, and those seeds are a few years old. I planted two types, so it won't be a huge problem if they never germinate.
We had garden orientation was last night. Our community garden opens next Tuesday, and I can't wait to get out there and get started. I have one 4'x8' plot. I put in eyebolts last year, so I'll re-string the twine and have my square plots marked out. I will admit that I am really not sure how to prepare the bed for planting. Most resources tell you how to make your own raised bed, but what if the bed is three years old? How can I prep the soil then? I had a problem with my soil compacting and cracking last year, and I am just not sure how to fix it. My plan is to aerate the soil by using a fork to put in holes, but not turn over or till the soil in anyway. I'll lay compost on top of that and hope it helps the bed. I tried to incorporate the compost last year, and I am not sure that was helpful; I think I just tilled the bed and killed all the good soil ecosystems.
I picked up this book at the orientation last night:
It was created specifically for Chicago, so it can give detailed information on our last frost date (April 24), our hot crop plant date (May 15, which I had always thought was the last frost date), and the specific climate here. It also gave some incredibly useful information on organic pest control. As I may have mentioned last year, I had aphids, powdery mildew, tomato blight, blossom end rot, and squash borers. I went into the garden without much information on how to prevent or control some of the infestations. This year, I have a few plans:
1. Prevent squash borers. Squash borers are moth larvae. The moth lay eggs on the base of the squash plants, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae bores into the plant and kills it. I lost two delicata squash plants, an 8-ball squash, and a zucchini plant last year; I was operating under the misunderstanding that the bugs laid eggs in the soil, and it would be impossible to prevent year-to-year. As it turns out, if you wrap the bottoms of your plants in aluminum foil or pantyhose, it discourages the moth from laying eggs. If you do have an infected plant, you can cut open the base, pull out the larvae, and destroy it. So this year: aluminum foil on the base of my zucchini (I did not plan delicata squash, because I figured I would just lose it to the bugs!)
2. Prevent powdery mildew. I half-assed sprayed some watered down milk on my plants and didn't really take the powdery mildew seriously once it appeared. With some baking soda and water, I can do some preventative spraying and hopefully stop it before it starts.
3. Water less. As a "grewbie" (new grower), I didn't really understand how much water the garden needed. The plots are all on top of a cement lot, so I was worried the garden would get too hot. I watered daily all summer. That, plus the fact that it was a wet spring, led to the aphid infestation, mildew, and blossom end rot. I am going to try watering every other day to every few days. I'll try to check the soil with a finger; if it is dry down to a few inches, time to water. If not, let it be.
4. Keep an eye on tomato blight. The blight is now, unfortunately, in my soil. There isn't a lot you can do to prevent blight or stop it once it starts. But I can prune the plants well, make sure no leaves are touching the ground, and remove any infected leaves as soon as I see the start. If necessary, I can remove the plant. Similarly, if I see blossom-end rot (which occurs because of a calcium deficiency in the plant; it's not pulling enough from the soil, either from bad soil or erratic watering) I can cut off the deficient fruit right away and give the plant a chance to make new fruits.
That's my current pest plan. Expect another garden update when I can actually get my hands out in the dirt!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
broken borage
A certain someone very excitedly opened her windows the other day, to let the warm, delicious air in. That same someone may or may not have allowed the strong breeze coming through the window to knock over one of the jiffy trays and break her borage. (Does broken borage count as a first world problem?)
I snipped off the broken stems to allow the smaller stems to take over. They thyme and basil dusted themselves off and seem to be doing fine. Eggplant is even starting to peek out a bit. Peppers are all starting to pop up, with the exception of both mini-peppers. And outside, the lettuce, kale, and spinach have finally come out to play, and the calendula and chamomile showed their green faces this morning.
Just in time for the predicted snow tomorrow.
Still waiting for the chard, purslane, and mini-peppers, then I'll have my full green contingent. I'm refusing to hopeful about the strawberries (pretty sure this cold winter killed them) and the blueberry bush (I need to learn how to prune it, and I don't think my last-minute coffee grounds applications will be enough to induce it to flower).
Our community garden opens on April 22. I'll prepare the bed, lay out the squares, and then get the radishes, carrots, parsnips, and peas started. I'm itching to get my hands in the dirt.
In non-garden related life news, my show closed this afternoon, which means it's project go-time. I'm starting a new quilt and test-batching soap for the shop. I'm hoping these two projects (plus some spring cleaning) help me walk the line between too-bored and not-enough-to-do. I'll be sure to post updates on both projects.
In the meantime: happy spring!
I snipped off the broken stems to allow the smaller stems to take over. They thyme and basil dusted themselves off and seem to be doing fine. Eggplant is even starting to peek out a bit. Peppers are all starting to pop up, with the exception of both mini-peppers. And outside, the lettuce, kale, and spinach have finally come out to play, and the calendula and chamomile showed their green faces this morning.
Just in time for the predicted snow tomorrow.
Still waiting for the chard, purslane, and mini-peppers, then I'll have my full green contingent. I'm refusing to hopeful about the strawberries (pretty sure this cold winter killed them) and the blueberry bush (I need to learn how to prune it, and I don't think my last-minute coffee grounds applications will be enough to induce it to flower).
Our community garden opens on April 22. I'll prepare the bed, lay out the squares, and then get the radishes, carrots, parsnips, and peas started. I'm itching to get my hands in the dirt.
In non-garden related life news, my show closed this afternoon, which means it's project go-time. I'm starting a new quilt and test-batching soap for the shop. I'm hoping these two projects (plus some spring cleaning) help me walk the line between too-bored and not-enough-to-do. I'll be sure to post updates on both projects.
In the meantime: happy spring!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Homemade Yogurt
One of the things I've already crossed off the hippie list is homemade yogurt. I started making my own last summer and really loved it. It's easy, it's economical, and it's right up the ol' hippie alley.
So, here's how to make your own yogurt.
Homemade Yogurt in a Crockpot
Ingredients:
Half-gallon of milk
2 tbsp to 1/2 a cup of yogurt with live culture
Directions:
1. Pour the milk into your crockpot.
2. Heat the milk to 180 degrees.
3. Turn off the heat. Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees.
4. Once the milk has reached 110 degrees, ladle out a small bowl of the warm milk. To this, add 2 tbsp to 1/2 cup of yogurt. Whisk until smooth. Add milk/yogurt back into the crockpot of warm milk.
5. Wrap the crockpot ceramic and lid in a towel, and place in the oven with the oven light on. Do not turn on the oven.
6. Allow to sit 8-12 hours or overnight, insulated in the towel.
7. After 8-12 hours, you should have yogurt with a layer of whey on top. You can either stir in the whey (it's good for you!) or pour it off. Pour the yogurt into your container of choice, and store in the fridge. Should be good for at least two weeks.
My milk of choice comes from my grocery delivery service, so it's local, organic, ethical, and all those good hippie things. It also comes in a glass bottle that I return to the grocery service so it can be recycled or reused. At any rate, use whatever kind of milk you'd like. I like 2%, because I believe fat is not bad for you. You can use skim or whole if you choose. While you can make this recipe with a full gallon, it takes forever and produces more yogurt than you can eat. Try a half-gallon.
My crockpot is fairly fancy and has a temperature probe. I can insert it and the crockpot sets off an alarm when it's reached 180 degrees. However, any food thermometer will do. You can also make yogurt on the stove--just be careful not to heat the milk too fast and curdle it.
Why are we heating it to 180 degrees? Because it kills off any bad or competing bacteria. Why are we letting it cool to 110 degrees? Because 110 is the happy place for yogurt bacteria. When you add the culture to your milk (either from previous homemade or store bought (with live culture!) yogurt), you've given the cultures a warm happy place to multiply. Hotter than 110 will kill the bacteria. Colder will cause them to shut down and not reproduce. Wrapping the ceramic in a towel and putting it in the oven (with just the light on!) will help the milk stay at 110 degrees.
I will say this: the yogurt produced is really good. However, it's much thinner than commercially produced yogurts. It's also sour--it's plain, unsweetened, unflavored yogurt. I find this perfect for smoothies; it produces a lovely texture, adds protein, and there's no need for the sugar or flavoring with all the fruit I toss in there. But you can customize the yogurt to your needs.
-Add vanilla extract for vanilla flavoring. Or try adding jam if you'd like that fruit-on-the-bottom feel. Bonus hippie points in you made and canned the jam yourself.
-Use honey or maple syrup or other sweetener of your choice to sweeten the yogurt.
-If you want a thicker yogurt, or greek yogurt, place cheesecloth in a colander and pour in the yogurt. Let the whey drain off until it's as thick as you'd like. (I've never done this myself, so I am not sure how long it takes to drain.)
While it's not really time consuming, you do need to stick a little close to home while things are heating and cooling. It takes about an hour to heat, and 1-2 hours to cool off. But at the end of it, you have a half-gallon of yogurt for the cost of a half-gallon of milk and a few minutes work. Not too shabby. And your friends will be very impressed with your hippie skills.
Happy yogurting!
So, here's how to make your own yogurt.
Homemade Yogurt in a Crockpot
Ingredients:
Half-gallon of milk
2 tbsp to 1/2 a cup of yogurt with live culture
Directions:
1. Pour the milk into your crockpot.
2. Heat the milk to 180 degrees.
3. Turn off the heat. Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees.
4. Once the milk has reached 110 degrees, ladle out a small bowl of the warm milk. To this, add 2 tbsp to 1/2 cup of yogurt. Whisk until smooth. Add milk/yogurt back into the crockpot of warm milk.
5. Wrap the crockpot ceramic and lid in a towel, and place in the oven with the oven light on. Do not turn on the oven.
6. Allow to sit 8-12 hours or overnight, insulated in the towel.
7. After 8-12 hours, you should have yogurt with a layer of whey on top. You can either stir in the whey (it's good for you!) or pour it off. Pour the yogurt into your container of choice, and store in the fridge. Should be good for at least two weeks.
My milk of choice comes from my grocery delivery service, so it's local, organic, ethical, and all those good hippie things. It also comes in a glass bottle that I return to the grocery service so it can be recycled or reused. At any rate, use whatever kind of milk you'd like. I like 2%, because I believe fat is not bad for you. You can use skim or whole if you choose. While you can make this recipe with a full gallon, it takes forever and produces more yogurt than you can eat. Try a half-gallon.
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| Milk heating up. Milk bottle ready to be returned. |
Why are we heating it to 180 degrees? Because it kills off any bad or competing bacteria. Why are we letting it cool to 110 degrees? Because 110 is the happy place for yogurt bacteria. When you add the culture to your milk (either from previous homemade or store bought (with live culture!) yogurt), you've given the cultures a warm happy place to multiply. Hotter than 110 will kill the bacteria. Colder will cause them to shut down and not reproduce. Wrapping the ceramic in a towel and putting it in the oven (with just the light on!) will help the milk stay at 110 degrees.
 |
| This is a ridiculous picture: my crockpot, wrapped in a bath towel, resting in the oven. |
-Add vanilla extract for vanilla flavoring. Or try adding jam if you'd like that fruit-on-the-bottom feel. Bonus hippie points in you made and canned the jam yourself.
-Use honey or maple syrup or other sweetener of your choice to sweeten the yogurt.
-If you want a thicker yogurt, or greek yogurt, place cheesecloth in a colander and pour in the yogurt. Let the whey drain off until it's as thick as you'd like. (I've never done this myself, so I am not sure how long it takes to drain.)
While it's not really time consuming, you do need to stick a little close to home while things are heating and cooling. It takes about an hour to heat, and 1-2 hours to cool off. But at the end of it, you have a half-gallon of yogurt for the cost of a half-gallon of milk and a few minutes work. Not too shabby. And your friends will be very impressed with your hippie skills.
Happy yogurting!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Spring?
This was a long and brutal winter, as I am sure most of you already know. I'm normally not that bothered by the cold, and I actually like the snow. But for me, this winter was an incredibly busy December followed by an unemployed January. In theory, January sounds like the perfect time to snuggle up under a blanket indoors with the fake fireplace, avoiding the polar vortex and several feet of snow. In practice, the isolation really affected me. I had the SADS and had no energy to do anything. I felt like a waste of space. I acted like a waste of space. I lolled around in a depressed state, wishing for winter to be over.
So, obviously, I'm really ready for spring. Now there's a little more warmth and sunshine. I've been able to get back out on my bike. I've stepped back to decorative scarves, rather than warm scarves. And the biggest sign of spring for me: green things growing!
As for my green things, broccoli was the first to make an appearance, which surprised me. I tried direct-sowing broccoli last year and never got a peep. It seems starting indoors is definitely the way to go. The borage, basil, and thyme are up, as are all the tomatoes--including the seeds from a random heirloom tomato I ate like three years ago. (I saved those seeds on a whim, without treating them properly, and never actually expected to plant them. I had one open spot in my jiffy trays and tossed those seeds in just for the hell of it. I am excited to see what it produces.) I've even got a few peppers beginning to make their way up. They normally take a long time to germinate, so I'm happy to see them starting. Nothing yet from the eggplant (I may need to warm it to get it to germinate) and there are still a few quiet pepper plants.
Outside, it's a slightly different story. I checked on my window box of greens a few days after sowing, and discovered that squirrels had torn it up. They did the same thing a few times last year, pulling up my purslane and kale seedlings. (Last year, I started my lettuce and greens indoors in jiffy pots. I direct sowed this year because I am lazy and didn't have the energy to carry a bag of dirt home from the store, which I would need to fill my jiffy pots. Let's be real here.) I am in the process of securing a few milk jugs to create cloches, and we'll see if that helps keep the squirrels away. As it is, I have three lettuce seedlings. Three. Nothing from the kale, chard, spinach, or purslane.
I also sowed a few herbs and flowers outside, in a small pot, and the lavender is up. Nothing yet from calendula and chamomile.
I'd like to use this blog as a bit of a garden journal, so that I can use it as a reference in the coming years. (Like, maybe next year I will remember to start with cloches so I don't toss out seeds for the squirrels. One can hope.) I apologize if it gets tedious to read about various green things germinating. For me, though, there are few greater miracles in life than seeing that first bit of green pop out above the dirt. Ah, spring!
(Although, this is Chicago. It is likely that there will be at least one more snow in April. Our last frost date isn't until May 15. So it's really Spring? Whatever, I'll enjoy it as it comes.)
So, obviously, I'm really ready for spring. Now there's a little more warmth and sunshine. I've been able to get back out on my bike. I've stepped back to decorative scarves, rather than warm scarves. And the biggest sign of spring for me: green things growing!
As for my green things, broccoli was the first to make an appearance, which surprised me. I tried direct-sowing broccoli last year and never got a peep. It seems starting indoors is definitely the way to go. The borage, basil, and thyme are up, as are all the tomatoes--including the seeds from a random heirloom tomato I ate like three years ago. (I saved those seeds on a whim, without treating them properly, and never actually expected to plant them. I had one open spot in my jiffy trays and tossed those seeds in just for the hell of it. I am excited to see what it produces.) I've even got a few peppers beginning to make their way up. They normally take a long time to germinate, so I'm happy to see them starting. Nothing yet from the eggplant (I may need to warm it to get it to germinate) and there are still a few quiet pepper plants.
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| From left to right: eggplant, thyme, basil, borage |
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| Several kinds of peppers, broccoli, and heirloom tomato in the bottom right corner |
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| Roma tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers |
I also sowed a few herbs and flowers outside, in a small pot, and the lavender is up. Nothing yet from calendula and chamomile.
I'd like to use this blog as a bit of a garden journal, so that I can use it as a reference in the coming years. (Like, maybe next year I will remember to start with cloches so I don't toss out seeds for the squirrels. One can hope.) I apologize if it gets tedious to read about various green things germinating. For me, though, there are few greater miracles in life than seeing that first bit of green pop out above the dirt. Ah, spring!
(Although, this is Chicago. It is likely that there will be at least one more snow in April. Our last frost date isn't until May 15. So it's really Spring? Whatever, I'll enjoy it as it comes.)
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Garden 2014: The Beginning
I'm kicking off my gardening season today! Well, let's be real: I drew up the garden plans and ordered all the seeds in January, so I've been looking forward to this for a few months. But the spring-like weather yesterday and a trip to the local garden center really brought out the gardening fever. I sowed my greens outside and started my seedlings inside. This is what my coffee table looked like yesterday:
First, let me talk a little about my gardening journey. I started off with a very small container garden on a very small covered porch. All the containers were left by a former neighbor, and I took them over and replaced all the soil with fresh soil, and for my first foray into gardening, bought a bunch of lettuce plants, and enjoyed fresh lettuce that year.
The next year, I decided to get a little more ambitious. I bought a book on container gardening, bought seeds for container-sized plants, and grew cherry tomatoes, baby peppers, cucumbers, kale, chard, lettuce, and squash. The squash failed to produce, and the lettuce wouldn't grown, but everything else seemed quite happy in my container garden.
Last year, I rented a plot in a community garden down the street. I was ready for the big leagues of gardening; growing full-sized plants and varieties that were bigger than a container garden. I planned three kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of zucchini, two kinds of cucumbers, delicata squash, three kinds of peppers, and carrots. Unfortunately, I just ended up growing the most expensive carrots I've ever eaten. The garden suffered from aphids, powdery milder, blight, blossom-end rot, and a terrible squash-bug infestation. The zucchini never produced a fruit, although the 8-ball squash gave me a few of its tiny, cute little squash. The cucumbers and delicata squash died outright. The peppers were started too late and only produced a few little peppers, and I lost my entire inital crop of tomatoes to blight and blossom end rot. I ended up with a secondary crop of roma tomatoes that were quite lovely, but that and the carrots were about it.
I was a little sad about my failure, but I wasn't ready to give up. As my husband and I like to say, despite all the failure, I learned a lot, making it a "+1" to gardening. So, I decided to investigate companion crops, and really research which crops grow well together, and which do not. I also decided to mostly abandon the idea of squash, since the infestation of bugs is pretty terrible.
So what does my garden look like this year? Here's the plan:
In case you can't read that, I am planning:
Roma tomatoes
Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes
Green Arrow peas
Sugar Snap peas
Green beans
Black beans
Carrots
Parsnips
Radishes
Cucumber
Broccoli
Healthy Sweet peppers
Italian Gold peppers
Mini bell peppers
Gold Nugget cherry tomatoes
Zucchini
Eggplant
Around these, I would like to plant some companion plants and herbs, including:
Sage
Oregano
Borage
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Chamomile
Chives
Marigold
It's pretty ambitious, I'll admit. But--that's not all!
Our condo has a back deck, and I, of course, have claimed some space out there as well. I placed a window box on an open landing where it would get a ton of sun, and planted some very successful lettuce there last spring. It's a little too sunny for lettuce the rest of the summer, and succession plantings last year failed to take. This year, I'll plant an inital crop of greens in the window box, then, three weeks later, sow some more seed on our shady little railing in a round, shallow salad bowl, in hopes it will do better in the shade. I'll then transplant some lavender, rosemary, thyme, chamomile, and maybe a cherry tomato or 8-ball squash into the sunny area.
I planted some alpine strawberries last year that actually grew from seed (after three years of trying!) I'm not entirely sure they survived this harsh winter, but one can always hope. I also have a three-year-old blueberry bush that has yet to produce fruit. I'm going to start dumping coffee grounds on the soil to help it out a little, and see what it does this year.
So, that's the plan for Kilgore's 2014 Garden. I'll be sure to post updates and things start growing.
First, let me talk a little about my gardening journey. I started off with a very small container garden on a very small covered porch. All the containers were left by a former neighbor, and I took them over and replaced all the soil with fresh soil, and for my first foray into gardening, bought a bunch of lettuce plants, and enjoyed fresh lettuce that year.
The next year, I decided to get a little more ambitious. I bought a book on container gardening, bought seeds for container-sized plants, and grew cherry tomatoes, baby peppers, cucumbers, kale, chard, lettuce, and squash. The squash failed to produce, and the lettuce wouldn't grown, but everything else seemed quite happy in my container garden.
Last year, I rented a plot in a community garden down the street. I was ready for the big leagues of gardening; growing full-sized plants and varieties that were bigger than a container garden. I planned three kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of zucchini, two kinds of cucumbers, delicata squash, three kinds of peppers, and carrots. Unfortunately, I just ended up growing the most expensive carrots I've ever eaten. The garden suffered from aphids, powdery milder, blight, blossom-end rot, and a terrible squash-bug infestation. The zucchini never produced a fruit, although the 8-ball squash gave me a few of its tiny, cute little squash. The cucumbers and delicata squash died outright. The peppers were started too late and only produced a few little peppers, and I lost my entire inital crop of tomatoes to blight and blossom end rot. I ended up with a secondary crop of roma tomatoes that were quite lovely, but that and the carrots were about it.
I was a little sad about my failure, but I wasn't ready to give up. As my husband and I like to say, despite all the failure, I learned a lot, making it a "+1" to gardening. So, I decided to investigate companion crops, and really research which crops grow well together, and which do not. I also decided to mostly abandon the idea of squash, since the infestation of bugs is pretty terrible.
So what does my garden look like this year? Here's the plan:
In case you can't read that, I am planning:
Roma tomatoes
Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes
Green Arrow peas
Sugar Snap peas
Green beans
Black beans
Carrots
Parsnips
Radishes
Cucumber
Broccoli
Healthy Sweet peppers
Italian Gold peppers
Mini bell peppers
Gold Nugget cherry tomatoes
Zucchini
Eggplant
Around these, I would like to plant some companion plants and herbs, including:
Sage
Oregano
Borage
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Chamomile
Chives
Marigold
It's pretty ambitious, I'll admit. But--that's not all!
Our condo has a back deck, and I, of course, have claimed some space out there as well. I placed a window box on an open landing where it would get a ton of sun, and planted some very successful lettuce there last spring. It's a little too sunny for lettuce the rest of the summer, and succession plantings last year failed to take. This year, I'll plant an inital crop of greens in the window box, then, three weeks later, sow some more seed on our shady little railing in a round, shallow salad bowl, in hopes it will do better in the shade. I'll then transplant some lavender, rosemary, thyme, chamomile, and maybe a cherry tomato or 8-ball squash into the sunny area.
I planted some alpine strawberries last year that actually grew from seed (after three years of trying!) I'm not entirely sure they survived this harsh winter, but one can always hope. I also have a three-year-old blueberry bush that has yet to produce fruit. I'm going to start dumping coffee grounds on the soil to help it out a little, and see what it does this year.
So, that's the plan for Kilgore's 2014 Garden. I'll be sure to post updates and things start growing.
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